Blindly In Love
by Emers and the Jawnske
Summary: The sound was tantalizing. The Music was drawing Iggy in. Right into the world of a beautiful pianist. Just to be safe, I'm bumping the rating up to M. Just as a precation people.
1. Chapter 1

We had been flying for what seemed like forever. The place we were headed was somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains and was supposed to be secluded. It was a vacation cottage belonging to one of Dr. Martinez's relatives. She said they had passed away and left it to her but she didn't use it anymore. Max had thought about it and decided it would be nice to settle down somewhere. We were going to live there. I smiled to myself as Max shouted out the order to land. We went down and the younger kids immediately started celebrating. I felt Fang place a hand on my shoulder.

"This is it, Ig. Home, sweet home." I smiled again and followed Fang's movements into the house. I could feel how big the space was, feeling the sounds bounce off of the walls. I would finally know where I was going everyday.

"Hey, look. We have neighbors." Angel's voice. She was over by one of the walls, probably looking out of a window.

"What? We're supposed to be the only ones around for miles." Max sounded worried. She didn't trust people out side of the flock too much, except for her mom and sister. Fang's footsteps moved toward her.

"It's ok. Maybe they have kids for Angel, Gazzy and Nudge to play with. They might be great neighbors. Don't worry unless there's a reason to." She took a deep breath and her footsteps moved away.

"Hey, Iggy. Follow me, I'll show you your room."

I followed Fang's footsteps to a hall, stopping when he reached a door on the left. He opened the door and I stepped inside. It was a nice size. I stepped slightly to my right and felt a bed close by.

"You'll be sharing with me. Gazzy's farther down the hall next to us, Nudge and Angel are across from him and Max is across from us." I nodded.

"What's the layout like?"

"Single level house. There's the living room, a kitchen leading off of it. There's a sliding glass door in the kitchen leading out to a patio, but be careful of the island. Then there's just this hallway and the four rooms." I frowned.

"Kind of simple, huh? What about outside?"

"About fifteen yards of clearing around the house before hitting the trees. On the east side there's a small creek and a bridge going over, connecting the clearing for this house with the one across the creek."

"Any people over there?"

"Yea. There's a woman and a girl about our age. Two cats." I nodded again.

"Thanks, Fang."

"No problem, Ig. Max and Angel are going to get some food to stock the up the fridge. Nudge and Gazzy are planning on going in the creek if you want to join them. I'll be on the patio." I heard his footsteps leave the room and I turned and walked out to. From what he told me I easily navigated my way through the house to the patio door. I walked down the steps and walked along the bank of the creek until I came to the bridge, noting how far it was along the house. I walked half way over and leaned against the rail, feeling the thin mist from the water hit my face. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I heard unfamiliar footsteps coming towards me on the bridge. I opened my eyes and looked toward the sound.

"Hi. I'm Declan. I'm your new neighbor." A girl's voice. She sounded young; she must have been the girl next door to them.

"Um…I'm Iggy."

"So, are these guys your family?" I assumed she meant Fang, Nudge and Gazzy so I nodded.

"We haven't seen anyone up here since Mrs. Cortez passed away. It's just been me and my mom up here. I'm glad there are kids around my age here now. Are there more than the four of you?" I nodded.

"There are two others." She whistled.

"Six of you plus your parents? I've been in there, there's no way you guys all fit in there." I shrugged

"There's just the six of us, no parents." She was silent for a moment.

"Oh." She was quiet after that, but he could still sense her next to him.

"Hey, Iggy. Meeting the neighbors?" Fang.

"Hi. I'm Declan."

"Fang. I see you've met Iggy. Quite the charmer isn't he?" I turned in the direction of his voice and scowled. Of course Fang would have to mess with me. He wouldn't be Fang if he didn't. Declan giggled.

"He's just been telling me a bit about you guys. It's great to finally have someone to hang out with. How old are you guys, anyway?"

"Iggy, me and Max are all fourteen. That one there is Gazzy, he's eight. And Nudge is twelve. The little one, Angel, is with Max, she's six."

"Wow, that's quite a full house. I wish I had brothers and sisters. It's just my mom and me. Maybe I can come over sometime and we can all hang out. Bye, Iggy." I heard her walk away and turned on Fang.

"'Quite the charmer'? Really, Fang?" He snickered.

"I couldn't help it. She was cute and making you squirm is really fun." I ignored him. I could hear Max and Angel landing in the trees and headed back to the house to help them out.


	2. Chapter 2

I was standing on the bridge by myself. It was late and the younger kids were in bed. Fang and Max were sitting on the patio. I heard the car next door pull off and figured it was safe to go onto the bridge without getting embarrassed by Fang. I closed my eyes and felt the mist again. A sound caught my attention. A piano. It was a very soft song with tinkling background notes. It was tantalizing. I turned toward the sound and listened, following the sound. It was coming from Declan's house; strange since they weren't supposed to be home. I started walking toward the source, wanting to know where the beautiful music was coming from. I moved along the side of the house. I could hear the sound getting stronger. I stopped. It was like I was standing right by a speaker. It was louder than anywhere else here. I closed my eyes again, taking in the music. It was a wonderful feeling. It slowed and ended too soon. I sighed.

"Iggy?" I jumped. Declan.

"Um…s—sorry. I didn't mean to…" I heard her giggle.

"It's ok. Did you like the music?" I smiled and nodded.

"It was pretty. What was it?" She giggled again.

"It was me."

"Really?"

"Sure was. Do you want to come inside? I can play you some more." I hesitated, and then nodded.

"Great. Come on in. I'm in the living room." I froze. She must have been in a window and wanted me to walk around to the front door and meet her inside. I bit my lip.

"Um…Declan?"

"What's wrong?"

"I…can't really…" I've never had this problem before. The flock knew how to describe things so I could get around. The only time I've ever been really lost was at that school Anne Walker had enrolled us in.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I'm…blind."

"Oh, my god. I am so sorry." I heard her footsteps running to her front door and soon she was next to me. "I'm really sorry, Iggy." She grabbed my hand and led me inside, sitting me down on a sofa.

"I really am sorry. I never even noticed you looked at me when we were talking and everything."

"It's fine. Even my family forgets sometimes. I get around really well." She was quiet for a minute.

"Do you want to hear me play?" I smiled and nodded. I felt her move off of the sofa and heard the scrape of a stool on the floor. There was paper shuffling and then…the music. I smiled. It was a different song than before but just as beautiful, with a slower sound and contrasts in high and low notes. I sat back on the sofa and closed my eyes, relishing how the music swept over me. The song ended too soon in my opinion. I heard her turn on the wooden seat.

"How was that?"

"It was beautiful. Where did you learn to play like that?"

She moved and sat back on the sofa with me.

"I've playing since I was about six. Since then I've been getting better and better. I'm still not as good as my dad but I'm getting there." My head cocked to the side.

"Your dad? I thought it was just you and your mom." She was quiet and I immediately regretted the question.

"He passed away when I was five. Car accident." I felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. I could tell she was frowning by the sound of her voice. But the next time she spoke there was a smile in her voice.

"I'm doing a recital tomorrow if you want to come. You can bring the others too." I looked in her direction, not sure if Max would agree to that. But Angel loved music as much as he did and he was sure one little whimper from her would change Max's mind. I smiled.

"Sure. I'd love to."

"Great! My mom can probably bring you guys; she has a pretty big van. The concert's at eight but I have to be there a little early to set up so we should be leaving around quarter to seven. Is that ok with you guys?" I nodded.

"This is so awesome!" I felt her arms fly around my neck and froze as she hugged me, not knowing what to do. When someone in the flock hugged me I would hug back, but Declan wasn't part of the flock. Before I could even decide what to do she moved away.

"It's pretty late. I should get to bed. You can come by tomorrow to hear me play some more before we go if you want to." I nodded.

"Do you…need help getting back home?" I felt my face get hot.

"No. I pretty much have it down from the bridge."

"Cool. I'll walk you out." She stood and I followed, catching her movements out the door. She continued over to the bridge with me following.

"'Night, Iggy, see you tomorrow." She quickly hugged me and walked off. I stood there for a moment then turned and walked over the bridge.

"Hey, Iggy. Where were you?" Max.

"I was just…over at Declan's." I heard Fang snicker.

"What were doing over there, Ig?" He wasn't even trying to hide the laughter in his voice.

"Shut up, Fang. I was listening to her play the piano. She's really good. She actually invited us to her show tomorrow."

"I don't know, Ig. There's gonna be lots of people. Do you think that's a good idea?" I shrugged, knowing she was going to say something like that.

"She's really good. I like the music." I knew Max would cave if I tried to hide my interest. She always did. I think maybe because she liked seeing me happy about something.

"Fine, we'll go." I smiled to myself.

"Her mom can take us. She said we'll leave by six forty-five." I heard Fang snicker again as I walked into the house. I walked to the room I shared with Fang and lay on my bed, facing the ceiling and thinking about Declan. I couldn't stop the tingling feeling that was still running through my body from the hugs she gave me. I was wondering why I was even feeling that way when Fang walked in. He plopped down on his bed and sighed.

"You like her, don't you?" I sighed. In perfect Fang fashion he wasted no time in getting to the point.

"I just met her."

"But you do like her, right?" I bit my lip and hesitated. Big mistake. I heard Fang sit up. He was laughing.

"Shut up, Fang."

"Sorry, Ig, but I saw it coming." I frowned.

"What?"

"The way you hang on to every word when I describe girls for you; you were bound to fall for someone soon." I scowled in his direction. Then I had an idea.

"What does she look like, anyway? Declan, I mean." Fang chuckled but I ignored it. I was curious.

"She's pretty, I guess. Pale, like you, with blue eyes. She has brown hair that goes to her shoulders. She's thin and she's about your height, maybe an inch or two shorter. She has a nice smile." I thought about something and said it before I could stop myself.

"She smells like honey." Fang stifled a laugh and I felt my face get hot.

"You were that close to her, huh?" I shrugged.

"She hugged me." Fang snickered again. I rolled over with my back to him.

"I'm going to sleep now." I heard Fang move too. I fell asleep almost instantly.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up the next morning and went into the kitchen to eat something. I heard Fang and Max talking when I walked in. Max was pouring a bowl of cereal and Fang was drumming his fingers on the table.

"'Morning, Iggy." Max sounded unusually chipper this morning. It must be staying in one place after running for so long.

"Yo." I sat next to Fang and rested my head on my hand. Fang nudged me with his elbow.

"Have any good dreams about a certain girl next door?" I banged my head on the table. Couldn't he hold back on the cynical remarks this early in the morning?

"Fang, shut up." He chuckled.

"Come on, take a joke. Besides, how can I resist when you were saying her name in your sleep last night?" My face suddenly felt like it was on fire. I said her name in my sleep? I didn't even remember what I had dreamed about. Fang snickered when I didn't answer.

"And the way you were saying it, it must have been a great dream." I took a deep breath, deciding to take advantage of this instead of getting upset.

"And should I inform Max of how many times you've said her name in your sleep? Or even how many times you've screamed it?" I could feel Fang shooting me a dirty look and smiled.

"You WHAT!" I slid off of the stool I was sitting on and started walking toward the sliding door, smiling.

"I'll just leave you two alone. Have fun, Fang." I closed the door and walked over to the bridge, making my way over to Declan's front door. I knew roughly where it was from last night.

"Iggy!" Her arms flew around my neck as I felt her collide with me, making me stumble a bit. I could hear giggling but it wasn't from her.

"Um…Hi, Declan." I put my arms around her lower back. She moved away and took my hand.

"This is my friend, Terra. This is Iggy."

"OMG you are so adorable. Uh, I envy you, Dec." I raised my eyebrows.

"OMG?" Declan giggled.

"It takes a while to get used to her. But I've been trying to train her to be a human being."

"Must you embarrass me in front of the hot guy? Besides, almost every other teen in the country speaks IM. Just 'cause you don't doesn't mean I can't." Declan led me to a chair and I sat down.

"Terra's been practicing with me for our duet. She plays violin." Terra cleared her throat and Declan sighed. "Electric violin. You know the ones that hook up to an amp. I'm playing before her if you want to leave before the noise."

"Hey. It is not noise; it is music, maybe not classic violin music but music nonetheless." I was curious at this point.

"I'd love to hear you play. I don't know what a violin sounds like so I can't make a comparison but…" I shrugged.

"OMFG, you are too cute! Please tell me you don't have a GF." Now she'd lost me.

"I have no clue what GF means so probably no." I felt her touch my hand. She had small calluses on the tips.

"GF means girlfriend, hun." I felt my face flush.

"Oh, um…Well, I don't but…I have my sisters and brothers so I don't socialize much."

"Well then that's just a crime. Girls should be throwing themselves at you, you are way too hot." Declan cleared her throat as my face turned red.

"Terra, behave yourself." Terra huffed and let go of my hand.

"That's so not fair. You live next to him _and_ he has brothers. You just like to kill happiness, don't you?" Declan sighed heavily.

"Why don't you go and get some sodas? I'm sure being harassed by a crazy chick makes Iggy thirsty." I heard the chair move and a door open and close. Then it was just me and Declan.

"Sorry about Terra. She gets a little crazy around cute guys." My face burst into flames. Did she just call me cute? It didn't even faze me when Terra had said it, but Declan was a whole different story.

"Um…it's ok. She kind of reminds me of my sister, Nudge. Stuff just comes out of her mouth before she thinks." Declan giggled.

"Does she also embarrass you to no end? It's like Terra's job to make my life a living hell."

"No. That would be Fang. The day he doesn't say something to make me want to hit my head is the day hell freezes over." She laughed and I felt a tingle run up my arm as she touched my hand.

"I have no idea how you do it. If I couldn't just walk away from her sometimes I think I would explode." I chuckled. Then I heard her gasp and jump up, I automatically tensed.

"Is that really the time! I need to get ready. Sorry, Iggy, I need to get inside. See you in fifteen." And she was gone. I blinked for a second then stood, making my way back to our house. Half way across the bridge I heard Max.

"Iggy, come on. Aren't we going to that concert thing? Its six thirty already." I jogged the rest of the way back and went inside, already anticipating tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

I was standing on the patio biting my lip, waiting for the others to come out. Right now it was just me and Angel. She was sitting down humming to herself. I was tapping my foot impatiently.

"You know, Iggy, you should give her a flower to wish her luck. There are some pretty flowers growing over by the bridge. I think they're called tulips." I looked over at her, cursing under my breath. Why did she have to be able to read minds? Then I thought about what she suggested.

"Do you think she'd like that?"

"Of course, she's a girl. All girls like getting flowers from guys." I bit my lip again.

"Go get the flower, Iggy." I nodded and walked over to the bridge, keeping a few steps to the side so I could feel the flowers. I found them and went down the stem a couple inches then snapped it off. I stood there for a second before walking toward her house. I knocked on her door and a moment later it opened.

"Hey, Iggy, are you guys ready?" I took a breath.

"Um…yea, I think so. I wanted to give you something first though." I held up the flower.

"Oh, my god. It's so pretty. Thank you so much, Iggy." Declan's arms were around my neck again. I put my arms around her lower back and inhaled the sweet milk and honey smell from her hair. She didn't let go of me for several minutes and I didn't know if I should do something. She pulled away from me a bit and kissed my cheek. I stopped breathing. She moved away and stepped back.

"I'll be right back out, I'm gonna put my shoes on." I nodded out of habit as I heard the door close. I took a deep breath. The spot on my cheek where she kissed me was on fire. I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. The door opened again and I felt her grab my hand and pull me with her.

"Come on, we need to get the others. My mom and Terra are just about ready." We went over the bridge and over to the patio.

"What the hell, Ig? I thought you were gonna wait out here for us?" Max sounded only a little ticked, maybe because Declan was pulling me around by my hand.

"Hi. You must be Max. Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you yesterday. I'm Declan."

"Yea, you must be the neighbor."

"Uh huh, and you must be Angel."

"Hi! I like your name, it's really pretty." Declan laughed.

"Thanks, your name's pretty too. It really suites you." Angel giggled.

"We should go. My mom's waiting." She turned and I followed, still holding her hand. I could hear the others following us, their footsteps muted by the grass. I heard the door to the van slid open and she pulled me inside next to her. Everyone piled in and Declan's mom pulled off. There was silence for all of two minutes before someone spoke.

"So, you must be Iggy's brother. You don't look much like him but you are just as cute." Terra. I heard Declan sigh next to me.

"Terr, I'm quite sure Fang doesn't want to be bothered by a love struck, teenage girl."

"Oh, come on, Dec. You know I'm adorable."

"Hmm, true. But others may not think so." Terra huffed and grew silent.

"That's a pretty flower in your hair, Declan. Where did you get it?" I felt my face flush. Angel. She knew perfectly well where Declan had gotten the flower.

"Oh, Iggy gave it to me. I thought it would look cool in my hair." I heard Fang snicker and nearly kicked him; instead I scowled in the direction of the sound.

"And it looks really good with the lipstick you're wearing." Declan laughed.

"Plus it brings some color to this stupid black and white policy. That's the only reason I hate these things: It's supposed to be an expression of the 'artist's creativity' but we all have to wear black and white. It kind of defeats the purpose." I chuckled.

"With the way you play no one's gonna be paying attention to what you're wearing." I felt everyone's eyes focus on me and I was suddenly hyperaware that Declan was still holding my hand. I cleared my throat and looked down into my lap.

"That's really sweet, Iggy. Thank you." She whispered it into my ear so no one else could hear. I smiled to myself. The van slowed as her mom parked and we all got out. Declan still had my hand in hers as we walked up some stairs and into a room full of hushed voices.

"You guys can find some seats; we should be starting in a minute. Iggy, you come with me." She pulled me with her, weaving between people on our way to another room, this one filled with the sound of instruments and singing voices practicing for the stage.

"You don't mind me holding your hand, right? I know I've been kind of dragging you around."

"No. I like it." There it was again. Me speaking without thinking. She giggled.

"Good. I like holding your hand. It's kind of cold though." She laughed and I felt my heart do a little jump. I tried to calm myself. Why did I always act like this around her?

"I brought you back so you could sit with me before I go on. I hope that's ok." I nodded.

"Yea, that's fine. I only came to hear you play anyway." Her hold on my hand tightened. She put her head on my shoulder and I nearly jumped up.

"You're really sweet, Iggy." I couldn't say anything. My heart was going a mile a minute.

"Do you…like me?" I stopped breathing.

"A lot, actually." Speaking without thinking again. But this time I didn't mind. I felt her move away a bit. She put her hand on my cheek and moved my face until I was facing her. She was really close. I was trying to calm my breathing but failing miserably. I felt her lips graze mine a bit and a shiver went down my spine. Our lips met. Inside, I was freaking out; my heart beating furiously. I moved my hand up to her neck and pulled her a little closer. Her lips were so soft and warm and her hand was on my cheek still, giving me goose bumps. She moved away and I almost pulled her back. Her breathing was a little heavy, like mine. She giggled a little.

"Wow. That was…wow." I smiled to myself, happy that she was as pleased with the kiss as I was. I felt her touch my hand and a tingle went up my arm. I calmed my breathing before I spoke.

"Did you…like it?" It was a stupid question to ask at that moment but I had to know. She laced our fingers and my heart jumped again.

"A lot. Did you?"

"Yea, it was really…yea." I was still a little breathless. She laughed. Someone behind us called to her

"Declan, you're up next!" I heard a low groan escape her lips.

"I have to go on. But you can stand off stage and hear me play." I nodded and she tugged me along again, leading me around a corner and up a small set of stairs. We stopped and she took a few deep breathes, calming herself. The music playing sounded recorded, but the girl's voice singing the words wasn't. She finished her song and was awarded with applause from the audience. Declan took one more deep breath and squeezed my hand. An announcer introduced her.

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome our most talented pianists to the stage. Declan Harper."

"Wish me luck." She kissed my cheek and let go of my hand, walking out to excited applause. Once the audience quieted down she began. It was a beautiful sound, more wonderful than what she had played for me last night. I felt my heart race a bit. Her playing was magnificent. Once again, it ended too soon. There was a great amount of applause as Declan finished. I smiled. I heard her footsteps approach and then she flung herself at me, clinging to my neck. My smile widened and I stroked her hair

"You were amazing." She loosened her grip and moved away slightly.

"Thanks. That was the scariest thing I ever did. There were so many people." I chuckled and she led me back to the practice room. It was quiet now, except for a smattering of talk. As we walked past people they congratulated Declan on her performance. She thanked them as we walked by.

"Hey, Declan, wait up!" A guy's voice. I felt Declan stiffen next to me and I looked in her direction.

"Just don't say anything, Iggy. Ok?" She was whispering hastily and I tensed myself for something bad out of pure instinct.

"You were really great out there, Declan. All that practice must have paid off."

"Um…yea, thanks. We should go. My mom's probably waiting—"

"So, who's this? I've never seen him before." Declan's grip on my hand tightened.

"He's a friend of mine. He came to hear me play."

"Oh? And what would this friend's name be?" I got a weird feeling from this guy. I didn't like the fear in her voice when she spoke to him.

"Um…we should go." She tried tugging me away but his hand on my shoulder stopped us. I shrugged him off and turned in his direction slightly.

"Now, don't be rude, Sweetheart. What's your name, dude?" I frowned a bit.

"Iggy."

"Hmm. And why are you hanging around my girl, Iggy?" I felt my heart drop. What?

"I'm not your girl, Kyle. Now, let him go." There was a bit of an edge in Declan's voice now. She moved between me and the guy, Kyle. He released my shoulder.

"So, are you cheating on me with this twig? 'Cause if you are so help me I'll—"

"Having a little trouble, guys?" Fang. Declan moved backwards into me as I heard Fang's footsteps move closer to Kyle.

"Do we have a problem here?" The malice in Fang's voice was hard, cutting through the atmosphere in the room.

"Is that whore doing you too? She seems to be getting around lately—"

"Fang!" That was Max's voice. "He's not worth it." Max's footsteps came to a stop by Kyle.

"But if you ever talk that way to Declan again or if you ever even _think_ about threatening her or my brother, I won't hold back." Kyle scoffed.

"And what are you gonna do, bitch? Cry?" I heard a fist collide with Kyle's face. Declan turned and put her face in my chest. She was crying. I put my arms around her and held her tightly. Max must have clocked this guy good.

"Thanks, Fang. But you know I could have done that just as easily."

"Whatever. He had it coming." Of course, Fang had gotten to him before Max could even think about it. I stroked Declan's hair as she sobbed silently into my shirt.

"Is she ok, Ig?" Fang's voice still had that hardness to it, though I knew it wasn't directed towards me. I didn't answer him; I didn't know if she was or not.

"Let's go. Declan's mom is waiting." I held her to my side as we walked out. She was still shaking a bit.

"What happened in there? Who was that guy?" I shrugged. Max sighed and left it at that. We walked out of the building and over to the van. Declan's mom fussed over her before she managed to reassure her. Then we were on the road. I held her to me close, not letting my grip slacken.


	5. Chapter 5

The van slowed and everyone got out. Declan's mom said something about paper work and left again, apologizing to her daughter profusely. She had dropped Terra off at her house on the way back. I didn't want to leave Declan until her mom got back, she was too upset still. Fang put his hand on my shoulder.

"Go ahead. I'll keep Max occupied."

"Thanks, Fang." I started walking toward her house with her when Fang called back.

"Nice shade of lipstick, Iggy." I cursed under my breath, closing the door behind me. I led Declan over to the sofa and held her closer. She sniffed.

"How did you know where the couch was?" I smiled.

"I memorized where it was."

"Wow. That's so cool." I chuckled. She moved away a bit and nuzzled up to my neck. I bit my lip as my heart hit double time.

"I'm sorry about what happened today. And I'm definitely not his girlfriend. I'm not even his friend." I smiled to myself, happy that she didn't talk to that jerk.

"I would actually love to be…your girlfriend, if you want me to be." I felt my heart jump into my throat. Girlfriend? _My_ girlfriend?

"Why wouldn't I want you to be my girlfriend?" Speaking without thinking. I inwardly slapped my forehead. Until she kissed me, that is. I felt my face heat up when she let me go. I said the first thing that popped into my head. Voluntarily this time.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend, Declan?" She giggled.

"Of course, Iggy." She kissed me again, longer this time. I pulled her closer to me, savoring the feeling. To my surprise, she pulled me even closer. A lump came to my throat. I had no idea what I was doing but my hands seemed to know exactly what to do. They moved up her back, inching her onto my lap. She didn't fight it. Her lips opened slightly and I felt her tongue touch my lip and I shivered. Oh, my god. She slipped her tongue into my mouth and met mine, moving them together. I couldn't breathe. The feeling was amazing. I felt her hands at my waist, moving up my shirt a bit. I pulled away.

"I—I'm sorry." She sounded upset and I shook my head.

"It's not your fault. I just…" I shook my head again, cursing under my breath. She had almost touched my wings. She went to move off of my lap but I held her.

"Don't…please." She shifted back onto my lap and laid her head on my shoulder.

"I know you've probably never kissed anyone before so I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." I sighed.

"You didn't do anything, really." I felt horrible that she thought it was her fault. I wanted to tell her. I felt like I could trust her. I took a deep breath.

"Declan? What if I told you I'm not like anyone else? That I'm different. Really different." She put her hand on my chest.

"You're the most amazing guy I've ever met, Iggy, and I really like you. Nothing you tell me can change that." My breathing was coming fast. What if she freaked out and ran from me? What if she told me she never wanted to see me again? I had to take that chance. I just liked her too much to keep it from her. I shifted her gently off of my lap and stood.

"Iggy…?" I held my breath and took off my shirt, shaking my shoulders a bit to loosen my wings. I heard her gasp quietly in shock and bit my lip. There was silence for a moment before I heard her stand and walk over to me. I twitched when she touched one of my wings, dragging her finger down the length of it. I closed my eyes, waiting. She placed her hand on my chest and I froze as she came closer to kiss me. It was gentle; soft and warm. She moved away and pulled my hand with her to the sofa, sitting me down and settling back into my lap.

"I told you. No matter what you're still the same, Iggy." I felt the lump come back up in my throat. She moved her finger down the length of my wing again, making me shudder.

"They're beautiful. But…how…?" I shook my head.

"You don't want to know. Trust me." She laid her head on my bare chest and sighed. I felt her warm breath hit my skin and tensed. She moved away a little and kissed me. I felt her hand on my chest and a knot formed in my stomach. I kissed her back, slowly. She put her hand around my neck and pulled us closer together. I started pushing her into a laying position on the sofa, not entirely sure why I was. She didn't fight me. She let me push her onto the sofa and ran her hand through my hair. My breath caught in my throat. I felt her hand move on my back, sliding down the space between my wings. I shivered. I could feel her soft lips moving across my neck, kissing here and there. I clenched my fists, trying to remain calm. It was proving very hard, though maybe that wasn't the right word to use at that time. I moved to her neck and began to copy what she was doing, barely touching her neck. I could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest. She shifted me back up and kissed me, a little more determined this time. I hesitated then ran my hand up her shirt. She gasped.

"Stop. Iggy, stop!" I jumped up, still over her but not as close.

"I'm sorry. I'm really—" She shook her head, biting her lip.

"No, I—I think I need to go to bed." I moved off of her as she sat up. She was breathing a little weird and I reached out to touch her arm but she moved away.

"I'm sorry, Iggy. But…I just need to go to bed…get some sleep." I felt her stand and move in front, kissing my forehead.

"I'm really sorry, Iggy." She said it in a whisper that was barely audible. She took my hand and walked me to the door, giving me another kiss on the cheek before saying good night.


	6. Chapter 6

I stood there for a second then walked to the bridge, crossing it. I drug my feet across the kitchen and made my way through to me and Fang's room. I closed the door and plopped down on my bed, kicking off my shoes.

"So, how'd it go?" Fang was still awake. I sighed and put my pillow over my head.

"It's ok, Ig. I know all too well that love hurts." There was bitterness in his voice but I didn't know where it was coming from, maybe that girl he had kissed back in Virginia.

"I think I did something wrong. She moved away from me." Fang sighed.

"Yeah. They sometimes do that. Not sure why yet." I frowned, wondering who he was talking about.

"By the way, where's your shirt?" I felt my chest. I must have left my shirt at Declan's.

"Uh…I think it's at Declan's." I heard Fang stifle a snicker.

"Wow. What did you do? Wait…Ig, you didn't." I stayed quiet.

"Iggy. Please tell me she didn't see your wings." I bit my lip, not answering.

"Oh, god, Ig." I heard him smack his head.

"I had to, Fang. I like her a lot. I freaked out when she touched me and she felt bad, I had to show her." He groaned.

"Max is gonna kill you. What did she do when you showed her?" I smiled a bit.

"She was cool with it. She said they were beautiful." I blushed when Fang snickered.

"Beautiful? Well, at least she didn't scream or something. But why did she move away from you?" My smile faded.

"I…kinda put my hand up her shirt." That did it; Fang burst out laughing.

"_You_ did that? I never knew you had it in you, Ig."

"Shut up, Fang. She did it first. That's why I showed her my wings. She almost touched them…"

"Wow. You guys didn't…you know?" I frowned for a second then realized what he meant.

"What? You thought we…No. I mean, she freaked when I put my hand up her shirt. Besides, I wouldn't." Fang chuckled.

"Well, at least you aren't as much of a perv on the outside as you are inside your head." I gave him a look. One of those you're-such-a-jerk looks.

"I'm glad you found someone, Iggy. You deserve it." My eyebrows rose. Then I smiled

"Thanks, Fang. You know, you deserve someone, too." Fang sighed.

"I'm working on it. She just needs to learn to swallow her pride." I heard him shuffle and roll over. I still didn't know who he was talking about but whoever she was seemed to be making him pretty nuts. I thought about it a sec and then it hit me.

"Oh, my god. It's Max!" I heard him roll over again and I looked in his direction. "You're hung up on Max."

"Wow, Sherlock. Did you just figure that out?" He huffed and rolled back over. I was in shock. Of course the flock had joked about the idea of Fang being into Max but we never actually _meant_ any of it. It was too much to think about after what happened tonight with Declan. I rolled over too; it didn't take long to fall asleep.

I woke up really groggy, feeling like I got hit by a truck. I found a blue shirt and put it on, then walked out into the kitchen. I heard some talking when I got close and stopped. The first voice was Max, the second was…

"Hi, Iggy." Declan. I tensed a bit as I felt her come closer.

"I came over to say I'm sorry for last night. I really didn't mean to freak on you like that." I nodded, not knowing what to say. I felt her push something into my hand. It was black.

"You left it at my place." My shirt. I nodded again. There was silence for a moment.

"I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore. And your secret is safe with me, I promise." I stood there, shocked. She thought I didn't want to talk to her? Why? _She's_ the one who shouldn't want to talk to _me_. Wasn't _I_ the one who screwed up?

"I guess I'll go…" She turned and I caught her arm, almost missing because I misjudged her position a bit.

"Don't…" I could feel her eyes on me, looking at me curiously. I had no idea what to say to her. So I took a deep breath and went with my gut. I pulled her towards me and kissed her. I heard her gasp a little when our lips met; I must have shocked her a bit. I broke the kiss reluctantly and hugged her, holding her close.

"I like you. A lot. I don't want you to leave. And I don't want to stop talking to you." I could feel her heart beating wildly against my chest. She buried her face in my shoulder, holding me tightly. I heard Fang's footsteps, then they abruptly stopped and I heard stifled laughter. Then the sound of something hitting his arm. Max must have whacked him. I didn't even care that they were standing there watching us like creeps, I buried my face in her hair, smelling that sweet honey vanilla scent. God, she smelled great. We moved apart and I almost pulled her back, already missing the heat of her body against mine. She held my hand though; I guess that would have to suffice. For now anyway.

"Well, you guys seem cozy." Fang. What I wouldn't give throw something at him right now.

"Shut up, Fang." I pulled Declan with me to the kitchen and sat down.

"So, what was up with that sexist pig yesterday?" Max. Who else would call someone a sexist pig so casually? Declan cleared her throat and mumbled something inaudible. I looked over at her and frowned.

"Declan?" I could practically feel her anxiety rolling off her.

"He's no one. Really." I didn't believe that for one second.

"If he was no one then why were you so scared?"

"I wasn't scared!" There was silence. I touched her arm gently.

"Declan, tell me who he is." Another moment of silence.

"He's some guy who used to follow me around. Then he started telling people he was my boyfriend. He's a major creep." I heard an edge in her voice; she really didn't like this guy.

"Then tell him to go shove it. It's not that hard. Trust me." I smirked over at Max.

"Well not everyone's as bold and inconsiderate as you, Max." I heard her scoff.

"Being inconsiderate is better then being harassed by some jerk. Though I have no problem with decking him, I'd rather he not mess with you, Declan. And if he ticks Iggy off, he won't last two seconds." I smiled again.

"I'm not letting it even get to that. He won't go anywhere near Iggy." She gave my hand a little squeeze and I smiled in her direction. She had to be the best girlfriend in the world.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello hello! Sorry I haven't put this up sooner. I was torn betweeen this and planning some stuff. I am now officially (sort of) on my way to getting my poems published! Wish me luck!**

**Love and lightening bolts,**

**TK  
**

Declan and I wandered around in the woods a bit after everyone woke up. We were sitting under a pretty big oak tree and she was handing me flowers, saying 'wow' when I would correctly tell her their colors.

"How do you do that?" I shrugged and touched her shirt.

"I just can. Like how I can tell that you're wearing a white shirt." She giggled.

"That's so cool. What about this?" She moved my hand down to her pants.

"Hmm. They feel dark blue. With little flecks of white. Denim?"

"Yeah. You really are something, Iggy." I shrugged again and felt my face get warm.

"Can the others do stuff like this? Do they have wings too?"

"Yeah. We all do. Fang can kind of disappear if he stays still long enough. Max can go supersonically fast when flying. Gazzy has, um, a very unique gift. Nudge is like a magnet and Angel can read and control minds. And talk to fish. And breathe underwater. She's a pretty amazing six year old. And her dog, Total, can talk." I felt her head on my shoulder.

"I can't believe someone would do that to _babies_. But I'm kind of happy they did. If they didn't I never would have met you." I smiled to myself then kissed the top of her head.

"You really didn't do anything wrong last night, Iggy. I just…" I frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing. I overreacted. But I did like it."

"You did?" She giggled and kissed me. She moved away a little and I held her for a moment more. She giggled again when we broke the kiss. I grabbed her hand and led her back to the clearing our houses sat in. I could hear the younger kids splashing in the creek. We walked over to the patio and sat with Max and Fang. There was a strange quiet between them.

"You guys ok?" Fang scoffed.

"Yeah. We're just dandy." Well _that_ sounded convincing. I sighed and shook my head, leading Declan into the house.

"Don't pay them any mind. They sulk a lot."

"It's fine. But they seemed kinda mad at each other."

"That doesn't surprise me." I led her into the room Fang and I shared and sat down on my bed with her.

"At least in here we don't have to hear them give snide comments to each other." I felt her weight shift so that see was looking at me.

"So this is your room?" I nodded.

"And we can be alone in here for a bit, right?" I felt a lump rise in my throat. I nodded. She didn't speak for a moment. It seemed like forever.

"Can I show you something?" I frowned. Not because I was upset that she didn't suggest we kiss, which would have been great, but because I was curious. I nodded.

"Please don't freak out." I smirked.

"That's exactly what I was thinking when I showed you my wings." She giggled nervously. She squeezed my hand and let it go, moving away from me a bit. I sat there, not sure what was going on. I couldn't hear her making a sound. She moved closer and grabbed my hand, moving it up to chest. I held my breath, not sure what she was doing. I felt her smooth, bare skin under my fingertips and bit my lip. She had taken her shirt off. She guided my fingers over her skin slowly. I was breathing a little shallow and hoped she didn't notice. Then I felt something. She stopped moving my hand and let go, leaving it at that spot. I frowned, dragging the tips of my fingers over the thin, raised line on her skin. It was long; leading across her chest from her left collar bone to her right breast. I blushed a bit when I followed it downward but she didn't seem to mind. She touched my hand where it lay still on her chest; I could feel her heart beating fast.

"How did that happen?" She took in a shuddering breath and I felt a tear drop on my hand. I looked up at her.

"Declan?"

"Iggy, please. Just don't ask." Her voice was a little shaky. I kissed her cheek softly and then her forehead.

"I just don't want to be hurt again." Her voice was barely a whisper. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." She sniffed and buried her face in my chest. I stroked her hair and thought. I thought about who could have done that to her. About why they would have done it. A thought that was quickly pushed away when I felt her lips on mine. She was gentle, but she was using a little force to push me back onto the bed. I let her. She moved until she was over me, kissing me softly. My breathing was coming fast and I could feel my heart racing. We were moving our tongues together, relishing the feel. I felt her hand push up my shirt and shivered. I sat up a bit and let her take it off; lying back down again to continue. I could feel her warm skin against mine and my chest began to ache, making it harder to breathe. I put my hand through her hair, letting my fingers get tangled. It was a pretty color. Dark brown with some dark blonde and red mixed in. She moved down to kiss my neck and I inhaled sharply, not expecting the sudden flash of heat that ran through my body. I jumped and rolled over onto her. I could hear her breathing heavily, like me. She reached up and ran a hand through my hair. I sighed and held her hand to my cheek. She pulled me down to her so she was at my ear.

"I want to do this, Iggy. But if you don't want to it's ok." My heart stopped. If she meant what I thought she meant… She put her hand on my chest, right over my heart. I knew she could feel it pounding. I didn't notice till now how hard I was shaking. I was scared. I had no idea what to do or what to expect. Were bird kids even supposed to be with humans that way? I swallowed and said the first thing that popped in my head.

"Let's do it." WHAT! Did I really want to do this? She turned my face so she could kiss me and I felt that flash of heat run through me again. I pressed myself closer to her, feeling the heat from her body. I could feel the ache in my chest growing. I could also feel something else. A kind of stiffness in my pants. I kissed her neck, barely moving my lips over her skin. I heard her gasp silently and that excited me even more. I felt my heart do a little jump when she ran her hands up my chest, then her fingertip down my wing. I rolled my shoulders and let them loose a bit, letting them fall on either side of us. I could feel the heat between us; the ache in my chest burning badly. I felt her hand move down to my pants and I started shaking again. She probably felt it because she stopped.

"Iggy? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Just…nervous." She moved her hand to my cheek.

"I am too. But I want this. I want it to be you." I smiled and kissed her palm.

"I love you, Declan." That came out without me thinking, but it was what I felt. I wanted her to know that.

"I love you too, Iggy." I smiled again.

"Ok. Are you ready?" She took a deep breath.

"I'm ready if you are" I nodded and she moved her hands back down to unbutton my pants. I held my breath, waiting.


	8. Chapter 8

Her hands felt so smooth going down my stomach. I suppressed the shiver that I felt coming as she ran her fingers down to my pants. After a moment and she had them unbuttoned. I felt the ache worsen and pressed closer to her, kissing her. I heard a small whimper escape her lips and I gripped the bed to contain myself as the ache twisted inside me again. I could feel her inching my pants off; they were already almost down to my knees. I bit my lip and felt for the button on her jeans. It took me only a second to undo them. In two minutes we were both in just our underwear. I was freaking out inside. _What was I supposed to do? What if I did something wrong and she got upset with me? What if I was bad or something? What if_— my thoughts were cut short when I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I quickly jumped up and put my back against the door, blocking whoever it was from coming in.

"What's wrong?" Declan sounded worried. The person on the other side of the door banged on it.

"Iggy, come on! Open up!" Fang. I couldn't let him see Declan; she was practically naked on my bed. He continued to bang on the other side of the door.

"Iggy, in two seconds I'm breaking down this door. Either that or you let me in." I leaned toward the bed and tried to whisper to Declan to get dressed. I must have leaned too far away from the door because Fang easily shoved it open, knocking me to the floor.

"Whoa." Fang's tone wasn't mocking. He was as shocked as we were. I quickly stood and glared in the direction of the doorway where I knew Fang was standing.

"Don't you think if I was blocking the door that means don't come in?" For once in my life I didn't hear Fang laugh at my annoyance.

"I am _really_ sorry, Iggy. I had no idea." I heard the door close and I shook my head, letting out a breath I didn't even know I was holding in. I heard Declan groan and smack her head. I looked in her direction.

"Are you ok?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Just…"

I nodded, knowing what she meant. We dressed in silence. I couldn't believe I forgot about the others being home. But then again, being with Declan does that to me. Everything kinda melts and it's just me and her. I felt her take my hand.

"I hope I didn't…pressure you or anything. I just thought that—"

I put a finger to her lips.

"I wanted to do it. Really. I was scared but I really, really wanted to do it." I felt her smile under my finger and moved it away, smiling with her.

"I was scared too, so I guess we're even on that ground. I wish Fang hadn't ruined the moment though."

I smiled again. She definitely had a way of brightening things up.

I sighed. "Speaking of Fang, we should probably go out there before his imagination goes into overdrive."

She mumbled something like 'If he says anything, I'll kill him' and we walked into the hall. She was unwillingly letting me drag her through the kitchen and onto the porch. I could hear Fang whispering with Max and stopping when we walked out. The tension surrounding the four of us was unreal. I squeezed Declan's hand and led her to the table, sitting down and immediately shifting my head down a bit so I was looking toward my shoes. I could feel that Max wanted to say something and I was mentally begging her not to. Fang's unease was almost tangible and Declan was squeezing my hand pretty hard. I needed to…I don't know. To do _something_! I didn't think I could handle being this uncomfortable for much longer. I took a very deep breath and lifted my head some, readying myself.

"If you guys need to say something then go ahead. This silence thing is really killing me." The shock that followed this was almost as horrible. Then Fang cleared his throat.

"Um…sorry for…seeing you like that, Declan." She squeezed my hand a little harder. Max nudged my foot.

"We'll talk later." Was all she said. I rolled my eyes. I was gonna get an ear full about this. But what could she possibly do? Tell me not to do it again? I doubted that would work. I heard Fang's chair scrape back.

"I'm going for a fly. Wanna come, Ig?" I looked up at him, eye brows raised. Declan's grip on my hand loosened bit.

"Go ahead. I'll be ok with Max. You need to relax a bit."

I hesitated and then nodded. I stood and followed Fang onto the lawn, shaking my shoulders to loosen my wings. I heard Fang take off and was right with him in a moment. I followed him for a few minutes before he called out.

"I'm going down. Follow me."

I nodded in agreement and tucked in my wings, losing altitude. We touched down and Fang slung an arm around my shoulder.

"We need to talk." He led me over to a tree and we sat leaning against it.

"Now, what the hell was that?"

I gave him a confused look. "What was what?"

He sighed in frustration. "Did you really…you know?"

I groaned. "We are not talking about this. There is no way we are going to talk about this." I made to stand and Fang pulled me back down.

"Come on, Ig. Guy-to-guy talk. Can't walk away."

I groaned again and sat next to him.

"So did you really do it?"

I took a deep breath for what felt like the hundredth time today.

"No. We were going to though. Happy now?"

Fang let out a low whistle. "Dude. I am so sorry. I really didn't even think you would be doing that."

"Neither did I."

"What?" He sounded confused.

I smiled a bit. "Declan kissed me and it just went from there. I never thought it would lead to that though. I never even thought of doing that with her."

I heard Fang scoff and resisted the urge to hit him in the head.

"So…what was it like?"

I looked in his direction, confused. "What?"

"What was it like to be with her?"

I shook my head. "You are such a pervert, man."

"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to know how it felt. Like…when I'm with Max everything seems so unimportant. Except for her. Is that what it's like with Declan?"

I considered for a minute, thinking about how everything just melts out of my head when I'm with her. Especially when we're alone.

"Yeah. It is. She's just so…amazing. And I really lo—" I cut myself off and bit my lip. I didn't really care for the idea of telling Fang how I had told her I loved her. He broke the silence first.

"You really what?"

I waited a second before deciding to tell him. "I told her I loved her…and she said it back." A few seconds of silence followed this.

"You did? How did you tell her?"

"We were going to…you know…and I just said it."

Fang was quiet again. "I wish I could say that to Max. That would probably just push her farther away. She's just so stubborn." He paused for a second. "But that's what I like about her."

He sounded a bit frustrated but when he said that last bit I could hear the smile.

"Don't worry, Fang. I'm sure she'll come around. Or she might kill you, whichever comes first."

He shoved me as I laughed. We enjoyed the silence for a while in mutual content. That is, until Fang interrupted it once more.

"Did you happen to feel that scar on Declan's chest?"

I turned to him with a shocked look. I didn't realize it was so noticeable. But then again I couldn't see it.

"Not that I was looking or anything." He added quickly. "It was pretty noticeable though. Really dark. It must have been pretty nasty when she got it."

I frowned. "Yea, I felt it. She wouldn't tell me where she got it though. She got upset when I asked."

Fang got quiet then, probably thinking. Then I heard him stand.

"Come on, we should get back. There's no telling what Max could be doing to Declan."

I nodded and stood, running after Fang then taking to the air.


End file.
